Perhaps the menu in a restaurant looks blurry. Or you need to hold the newspaper at arm's length to read it. For millions of Americans, one of the first signs of aging is problems with vision.

Often, prescription or over-the-counter glasses offer a quick and easy fix. But for those who have "low vision," or a degree that can no longer be corrected by eyeglasses, contacts, medicine or surgery, the options are much more limited. The Lions Clubs of Connecticut has been working to help through its Low Vision Centers, the most recent of which opened last month in Waterbury at Saint Mary's Health & Wellness Center on West Main Street.

Low vision is the third most common physical impairment among people 70 and older, after heart disease and arthritis. It impedes daily activities, including driving, reading, watching television, balancing a checkbook, distinguishing medications and crossing the street. A variety of disorders can cause low vision, including macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Reading problems are the most common, but there can be deterioration in peripheral and color vision and the ability to adjust to changes in levels of light, contrast or glare.

Devices and products can help with many of these issues, and at the Lions Low Vision Center, such items are loaned to clients for free. To qualify, a person must have visited an eye-care professional within the last month and obtained a prescription for a low-vision evaluation. Most insurance plans cover the evaluation with an occupational therapist, who recommends vision aids and devices. The aids and devices are provided at no charge by donations from more than 50 Lions Clubs in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

The Lions Club has Low Vision Centers in Danbury, Southbury, Greenwich and New Haven. Raechaell Corbett, an occupational therapist at Saint Mary's Health & Wellness Center, said she reached out to the Lions Club about opening a center in Waterbury.

"There was nothing in our area," Corbett said. "And insurance will not pay for adaptive devices for a lot of people, but we can give these out for free as needed."

Some of the devices offered include pill boxes with oversized letters for the days of the week, giant checks accepted by banks, an LED handheld magnifier and a closed-circuit television that blows up the size of documents and photos. That machine alone would cost $2,000 to buy new, said Rich Groski, president of Lions Club Low Vision Centers for New Haven and Fairfield counties.

Dr. Joan Draper, a low vision specialist with the Eye Care Group's Southbury office, said the items the Lions Club can offer patients helps fill a significant gap when it comes to coverage from health insurance or assistance from the state.

"Similar to hearing aids, there is no money for the majority of patients for any of these devices," said Draper, explaining that a patient would have to at least be considered legally blind to qualify for "a small amount of devices, but only in specific cases."

When it comes to low vision, experts say it is key patients understand their diagnosis is not a doomsday message.

"If a patient goes to their optometrist or ophthalmologist and they say, 'There's nothing more that can be done,' well, yes, there is nothing more that can be done medically, but we can start working with the remaining vision and keep you independent and you can still do almost anything," Draper said.

Corbett said her goal is to help clients use their "available vision" through lifestyle training and with the help of devices and modifications to their homes.

"For example, it might be using bold-print paper or a black felt-tip pen and working with them on daily living like how to be able to still cut their nails, brush their teeth, cook and clean safely," she said. "Say someone sees the color yellow really well, we'll put yellow tape on the floor in certain areas to prevent falls."

The Low Vision Center will also help provide transportation to the therapy sessions, if needed.

"A lot of the people who have this are elderly and living by themselves and are at a much higher risk for depression because they can't get out and drive," Corbett said.

Groski said the clubs donated $3,000 worth of equipment to get the new center up and running. In the last three years, Lions Club Low Vision Centers, not including one at Yale, have serviced 625 clients, who have received 980 devices valued at $20,090. There is also a Lions Club Low Vision Center for Litchfield County that operates out of the Sullivan Senior Center in Torrington.

The Lions Club's history with vision dates back in 1925 when Easton resident Helen Keller gave a speech at the organization's international convention and challenged members to become "knights of the blind."

Low vision affects 1.63 percent of the Connecticut population, according to the American Federation for the Blind. That means there are 58,582 Connecticut residents in need of help with low vision, and of that number, 50 percent live in Fairfield and New Haven counties, said Jeffrey Nolan, administrator for the Lions Club Low Vision Centers for New Haven and Fairfield counties.

The new center in Waterbury is at Saint Mary's Hospital's Health & Wellness Center, 1312 W. Main St. For information, call 203-709-6232. For other centers in New Haven and Fairfield counties, call 866-319-9733 or visit www.lionslowvisioncenter.org. For the center in Torrington, call 800-676-5715.

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